The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 352 — If they fake it, you made it 😂
AE 1 Counterfeit models are hitting the streets. Sneaker of the Year, confirmed
Goooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you for giving me a bit of your time.
HOUSEKEEPING: KYW will be out on Monday. I’ll be doing a bit of traveling for work for a project we’re putting together at USAT. The newsletter will return next Friday.
Let’s rock.
Counterfeiting basketball shoes is WILD
Obviously, it’s too early in the year to talk seriously about Sneaker of the Year. But I’ve believed for a while that Anthony Edwards’ AE 1 would probably shape that conversation when we finally get there considering how popular it is.
Now I fully believe that after what I saw on Thursday.
What’s happening: The counterfeiters are out here making fake AE 1s. It’s incredible. The homie K.O. From ATATF dropped this gem on the timeline Thursday.
What you’re looking at: These are four different colorways of counterfeit AE 1s from Tara Na Run — a counterfeit shop out of the Phillippines.
These are obvious fakes. The Tara Na Run tag is right there. They’re also just tacky — not the glue stains along the side paneling and heel counter. These colorways also just don’t exist.
One is a very blatant riff on Nike’s Air Mag — something Adidas wouldn’t do.
Zoom out: You hate to see AE 1 replicas out there. Replicas are a major problem in the footwear industry. But this does prove something to us about this sneaker.
It’s truly breaking the mold in a way we haven’t seen a basketball shoe do in years. Take this as a sign that Anthony Edwards has officially made it in the sneaker world.
Counterfeiters only deal with the most hyped sneakers. In recent years we’ve seen that strategy applied mostly to hyped Jordan collaborations and Yeezys — the exclusive joints.
Very rarely have we seen this sort of thing applied to a basketball shoe. It’s happened before, sure. Most recently we’ve seen it quite a bit on Kobe models, but that’s been the extent of it for years.
Seeing Edwards’ shoes here legitimately shocked me initially. But the more I thought about it, it probably shouldn’t have. The $450 billion counterfeit market preys on consumer FOMO by zeroing in on the most hyped sneaker models. That’s what Edwards’ shoe is right now.
I’ve been complaining for weeks about how difficult Edwards’ shoes have been to purchase. I can’t even find a pair for myself these days. While it is a performance basketball shoe, it’s taken on the lifecycle of a lifestyle shoe.
Let me be clear: I am not endorsing these fake shoes. Counterfeits stink. This is just me saying that Edwards’ growth, along with Adidas, has been one of the coolest things to watch in 2024.
Doom and gloom at Under Armour
Part two of the Kevin Plank era is off to a terrible start after the company’s latest earnings call on Thursday.
The numbers: The brand’s fourth quarter can only be described as nightmarish.
The brand’s sales dropped by 10 percent in North America for the quarter and its profits dipped by more than 96 percent year over year.
There’s no expectation for things to get better, either. Plank said the company is projecting a 17 percent dip in sales for 2025 in North America, its biggest market.
The brand’s reported net income for the quarter was $6.6 million, which is way down from $170.6 million just last year.
What’s next: Here’s where the real trouble begins. Plank announced a massive restructuring for the company is on the way after these results. They’re projected to cost between $70 million and $90 million to get done.
The brand will reportedly add more “premium” price points to its direct-to-consumer while simultaneously cutting back on styles by 25 percent over the next 18 months, per Yahoo.
This is done to make UA’s product seem more exclusive and appealing, which theoretically should increase demand. We’ll see if that actually works. I’m skeptical.
Let me be real: I’m not even necessarily worried about that part of things as much as I am about the impending company cuts. The rank-and-file at Under Amrour will surely be impacted.
Like with Nike earlier this year, severance packages for Under Armour employees are part of the restructuring cost.
It’s unclear how many employees will be impacted or when, but it’s happening.
So much for the positive vibes from Kevin Plank’s return. Yikes.
The real story of Dylan Raasch
Dylan Raasch’s mysterious departure from Nike is no longer mysterious at all. He cleared things up in an interview with Complex’s Brendan Dunne.
The backdrop: Raasch suddenly announced his departure from the brand in early May after working there for 14 years.
His announcement coincided with the second round of layoffs from Nike’s cuts earlier in the year.
That led to speculation about whether Raasch — the designer of hits like the Roshe Run and Air Max 270 — was included in those cuts.
The answer: Dunne asked him whether his departure had anything to do with the restructure. Here’s what he had to say:
“No. I was offered another position. It's just for the point where I'm at in my career, it didn't feel like the right path forward for me. So I decided to take the severance package and explore other opportunities.”
What that means: Nike didn’t fire Raasch — it seems the company gave him an ultimatum: Take this new position or leave. He chose the latter.
The big picture: That’s disappointing to hear considering Raasch’s history with the brand. He’s had some of the brand’s biggest hits in the last decade. Allowing that to walk out of the door seems like an interesting choice for Nike.
READ MORE: Check out the full interview with Raasch here
My first SNKRS W in I don't know how long
When I saw Nike drop a video game this week, I jumped at the chance to play it. After all, it’s not every day that you get to control your destiny on a SNKRS W.
In all seriousness, this was pretty fun and creative from a marketing standpoint. I didn’t care about the Jordan 11 low, but this is an interesting way for people to interact with the brand.
Maybe I’ll actually win some shoes next time.
#TheKicksWeWear
Y’ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!!!!!!
First, the homie Rick Dubb got us started with these lovely Numeric 480s. Such a clean look.
Storm came through with the fire fits, per usual, matched with the Js. She’s always repping Boston, man.
The homie Plain Pat popped out in the Ishod IIs. Don’t sleep on these y’all. They’re bangers.
My guy Sumeet popped out after his trip across the pond in the Kasina Air Max 1s. LOVE this sneaker.
My guy Shawn P came through with the Industrial Blue AJ4s. I’m rocking with these, man.
Then the homie Phil closed us out with these INCREDIBLE Sambas. I’m inspired. I’m getting a pair now.
That’s a wrap, folks. Y’all SMOKED that. Good stuff.
Thanks so much for reading, family. Appreciate y’all! You truly make this newsletter what it is. Without your support, it doesn’t exist. Y’all are the best.
Let’s talk again next Friday. Until then. Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯